Thiruvananthapuram, August 13, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan on Thursday said the controversial agreement involving the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and Lionel Messi’s proposed visit to the state in 2025 was under detailed investigation, with preliminary findings indicating serious procedural lapses and possible GST violations.
Satheesan said the agreement was handed over to a private company without inviting an Expression of Interest (EoI), while the state government appeared to have been kept unaware of the arrangement.
“We are seriously looking into it,” he said, adding that the Finance Department would take steps to recover any loss caused to the state exchequer if GST violations were established.
The Chief Minister said a preliminary report had indicated that the GST-related issue was detected during the previous government’s tenure but was subsequently not pursued. A detailed investigation is now underway, and further action will depend on its findings.
The government will also examine whether the state’s interests were adequately protected and fix responsibility wherever lapses are established, Satheesan said.
On the controversy involving Meta, Satheesan clarified that his only request to the company concerned the official Instagram account of the Chief Minister’s Office. He denied asking for the removal of posts critical of him and said no one from his office had approached Meta for such action.
He alleged that Left leaders who had written to Meta seeking the removal of an interview he gave to a leading television channel were now making baseless allegations against him.
Satheesan said he was willing to approach Meta to seek restoration of any posts concerning him that had been removed and would support media organisations taking up the issue with the company.
Meanwhile, the Kerala Cabinet decided to provide Rs 2 lakh each to families and victims of the 2024 Wayanad disaster, involving a total expenditure of Rs 5 crore. It also approved guidelines for distributing Onam bonuses to employees of public sector undertakings for 2025-26.
The Chief Minister said commercial movement of export-import cargo through Vizhinjam port would commence on August 18, marking a transition from its current transshipment-only operations.
The Cabinet also decided to oppose the Centre’s proposed Mines and Minerals Development Bill, with Satheesan describing it as an encroachment on the state’s constitutional powers. He said Kerala would communicate its opposition to the Centre and pursue legal remedies if the legislation became law.
Satheesan also said a standard operating procedure (SOP) for handling cases involving fishermen reported missing at sea would be announced shortly.
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